MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Because of the size of MEMS devices, the MEMS devices are usually inspected for defects by some specific microscopes, such as scanning electron microscopes (SEM), or atomic force microscopes (AFM). However, the SEM or the AFM inspect the MEMS devices by emitting electrons or atoms, and that will damage the MEMS devices.
Optical microscopes may be usually used for inspecting MEMS devices to prevent damage. However, the optical microscopes for MEMS devices have very complex and precise mechanisms, and therefore, the manufacturing of the optical microscopes is very difficult, and the manufacturing cost of the optical microscopes is very expensive. Moreover, the inspection processes of the microscopes are very complex and take a lot of time.
Therefore, there are challenges to the manufacturing of optical microscopes and improving the inspection methods of the optical microscopes.